Reed-organ



(No Model.)

F. PRITGHARD.

REED ORGAN.

No. 893,312. Patented Nov III/4 "Il N. PETERS, Pham-ummm'. wmmm, n. c.

NITED STATES Pari-iur FREDERICK PRITCHARD, OF MERDEN, CONNECTICUT,

REEDHORGAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,312, dated November 20, 1888,

Application died December 1, 1857. Serial No. 256,630. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK Pnrrcnllnn, of Meriden, in the county of N ew Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Reed-Organs; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to bc a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure l,a vertical section through the soundchamber, one pair of reeds, one operator, and the exhaust-passage independent of the soundchamber; Fig. 2, the same vertical section showing the pneumatic operator as opening into the sound-chamber, and also illustrating a modification in the iiexible connections from the follower; Fig. 3, a modification in the meollanism for opening the inlet to the pneumatic operator; Fig. 4, a modication.

This invention relates to an improvement in pneumatic operators for musical instrumentsthat is to say, a device which under a force produced either by exhaust or compression will impart a movement to the follower of the operator, which movement will be communicated to the hammer,reedvalves, keys, or whatever part or" the instrument it is desired for such operator to act upon,the invention being particularly applicable to that class of instruments commonly called orguinettea7 and in which a series of openings are provided into an exhaust-chamber, the said openings corresponding to the respective reeds of the instrument, the said openings being covered by a strip of paper, which moves over them, and the paper perforated corresponding to said openings,and the reed required to be sounded at the particular times, and so that as the paper is drawn over the said openings such particular perforations in the paper passing the respective openings into the exhaust-chamber permit air to pass into the openings through the exhaust-chamber and through the pneumatic operator,which will automatically open the valve 5 and the invention consists in a pneumatic operator composed of a follower, with an inlet-opening to one side of the follower and an outlet-opening to the other side ofthe follower, with a iienible connection on each side of said follower and around the respective inlet and outlet openings, as more fully hereinafter describedo In illustrating the invention l show it first as applied to an orguinette, showing only so much of the instrument as is necessary for a clear understanding of the invention.

A represents the sound-chamber to which the exhaust apparatus is applied in the usual manner. (Notshown.) Abovethesouiul-chamber I represent the reed-passages a D, each of which opens into the sound-chamber below,thc opening being closed by a valve, B, in the usual manner. The space above the reedboard is open to the atmosphere, so that, air being exhausted from the sound-chamber and the valve open, air will pass through the reeds into the sound-chamber to produce the sounda common and well-known construction.

C represents an inletpassage having an aperture, d, formed therein, over which the perforated paper may pass, but which will close the said passage except when the perforations in the paper register therewith, and as usual in this class of instruments. The paper is represented as passing over the apertures d, c representing the pcrforations. The mechanism for moving the paper is not illustrated, such being too well known to require description or illustration.

The passage C communicates through the pneumatic operator to exhaust passage E, which communicates with the exhausting apparatus. (Not shown.) From the passage C is an opening, e, and below it a similar opening, f, into the passage E. Between the two openingse j" a follower, F, is arranged. Thisis best made a dat strip of wood hung by one end, g, as upon a hinge7 the other end being free. Between the follower and the opening f below a exible surrounding material, 7L, is applied, which surrounds the openingf and makes connection with the follower F. Above the follower F a like iieXible material, t', makes a similar connection between the follower and around the opening e from the passage C, and so that the follower is adapted to move up or down, the flexible connections above and below operating like a bellows, but always pre- IOO venting any communication from the passage C into the atmosphere surrounding said pneumatic operator. Normally the follower F stands in its up position or toward the inletopening e. From this follower apin, Z,extends down into connection with the valve I-I, as shown, the spring of the valve serving to hold the follower in its up position. Through the follower is an opening, m, of considerably less area than the inlet-opening e,- hence the follower will stand in its raised or closed position; but so soon as the opening d is uncovered,then air is permitted to enter ythe passage C and supply the pneumatic operator. Consequently Y the exhaust now acts upon thesaid pneumatic operator, and,exhausting the air from below the follower, the follower drops, the space above it being filled by the air which flows in through the opening d, and as the follower drops it opens the valve and the sound is produced; but so soon as the opening d is closed, then the supply of air to the pneumatic operator is eut off, and the exhaust has no effect thereon, but the small aperture c through the follower permits the follower to risc or close under the action of the spring prepared for the purpose. The opening e being of a smaller area than the inlet or outlet passage to the pneumatic operator does not interfere with the action of the exhaust thereon.

Instead of making the action of the pneumatie operator directly upon the valve, it will be understood that it may be made through intermediate levers or trackers, too common in this class of instruments to require illustration.

I have r'epresented the follower with its two flexible connections as being in the form of a bellows; but this particular form of' liexible material is not essential, as it may be made as seen in Fig. 2, in which on one side of the follower the flexible material is represented as of a bellows-like character, while that upon the other side is represented as a flexible diaphragm. In the first illustration I have represented the exhaust-passage for the pneumatic operator as independent of the soundchamber; but it may be directly into the soundchamber, as represented in Fig. 2. There is an advantage,however, in making the exhaust for the pneumatic operator independent of the sound-chamber, from the fact that a stronger force may be applied to the exhaust for operating the pneumatic operator than is necessary for the sound-chamber, and thereby produce a quicker action than where the exhaust for the pneumatic operator is direetlyintc the soundchamber.

I have represented the opening of the inletpassage to the pneumatic operator as produced by the perforated paper; but it will be evident that this opening may be otherwise produced-- say as by a valve actuated directly from the manual, as represented in Fig. 3.

I have thus far described the invention as operating the reed-valve of a musical inst-rument; butin Fig. l I represent it as applied to a hammer, say to strike a bell, there being an extension from the follower to the hammer for this purpose. These illustrations will be sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to apply the operator for action upon other parts of musical instruments to which such an operator is adapted.

I have thus far represented the follower as actuated by' exhaust; but it will be evident that it may be applied with equal advantage under pressuresay as illustrated in Fig. 4, in which the passages are the same as in Fig. l, but the direction of the air supposed to be reversed. In this case, as before, the follower stands normally nearest to the receiving-passage through which it receives airthat is, down or toward the opening f into the passage E. New, if, as before, the passage C, which now becomes the escape-passage, be opened, the force of air will cause the follower to rise, as represented in broken lines, Fig. 4, and such movement of the follower will be communicated to the point where its action is desired in like manner as before described.

I claim*n l. The herein-described pneumatic operator for musical instruments, consisting of a follower, with an air-receiving passage opening to one side of the follower and an air-escaping passage opening from the opposite side of the follower, the said follower movable between said receiving and escape openings, with a flexible connection from said follower on one side around the said inlet-opening and a flexible connection from said follower upon the reverse side around the outlet-opening, and with a passage opening to the outlet side of the follower, the said opening being of less area than the` opening from the receiving and escaping passages, substantially as described.

2. In a musical instrument having mechanical sound-producing devices, the combination therewith of a pneumatic operator consisting of a follower,an air-receiving-passage opening to one side of the follower and an escape-passage opening from the opposite side of the follower, a flexible connection between said follower and around the air-receiving opening, and a exible connection between the follower and the escape opening, the said follower movable between the said two openings, a relief-passage opening to the air-receiving side of the follower, and with connections from said follower to said sound-producing mechanism, substantially as described.

3. In a reed-organ, in combination with the sound chamber,reeds,audvalvesopeningthereA from into said sound-chamber, an exhaust-passage independent of said sound-chamber, an openingto the atmosphere, means,substantially such as described, to open and close the said passage, a pneumatic operator arranged in the said exhaust-passage and consisting of a follower, the inlet-opening to one side of the follower and the outlet from the opposite side of IOO IIO

the follower, the said follower movable beM l lower, and with Connections from said folbween said inlet; and outlet, andalexible conl lower to the reed-valve, substantially as de- 1o neobion from the said follower around said inscribedn letpassage on one side and a flexible connec- ^`1 5 tion from the said follower around the ontlebb REDERIOK PRITCHARD' passage upon the opposite side, the follower Witnesses; constructed with an opening smaller in area JOHN E. EARLE, than the openings from the passage to the fol- FRED C. EARLE. 

